Trump DOJ losing grand jury trust

Why it matters

The Justice Department is facing scrutiny on two fronts at once: in court, where judges and grand juries are showing unusual resistance to some cases brought under President Donald Trump’s administration, and online, where the department has removed hundreds of records about Jan. 6 prosecutions from its website. The New York Times reported on May 26 that federal prosecutors are encountering growing skepticism from judges and grand juries as Trump uses the department against perceived opponents and in defense of allies. The website changes came into public view over the past week. Time reported on May 25 that the department removed hundreds of news releases tied to criminal cases arising from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, including releases on charges, guilty pleas, convictions and sentencings. The department described the deleted material as “partisan propaganda,” according to Time and Associated Press reporting carried by other outlets. (nytimes.com) ### Why are judges and grand juries pushing back? The New York Times said on May 26 that judges and grand juries have “increasingly lost faith” in the Justice Department as prosecutors pursue cases seen as politically driven or poorly supported. That matters because grand juries are supposed to be an independent check on prosecutors, and the Justice Department’s own manual says prosecutors must treat them that way. (time.com) Chicago has supplied one of the clearest recent examples. The Chicago Sun-Times reported on May 21 that U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros dropped charges against the so-called “Broadview Six” after a dispute over redactions to grand jury transcripts and questions about prosecutorial conduct. Law & Crime, citing an unsealed court account, reported that U.S. District Judge April Perry said she was “incredibly shocked” by grand jury behavior she said she had never seen before. (nytimes.com) A separate case involving former FBI Director James Comey also drew judicial criticism. PBS reported in November 2025 that a judge cited a “disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps,” including alleged misstatements of law to the grand jury and irregularities in transcripts. ### What exactly did DOJ remove from the Jan. 6 record? (chicago.suntimes.com) Time reported that the deletions covered hundreds of Justice Department news releases documenting the government’s Jan. 6 prosecutions. NBC News and Associated Press reports said the removed items included releases on defendants accused or convicted of assaulting police officers during the Capitol attack. (pbs.org) The department’s current press-release page says material published before January 20, 2025 “can be found in the Archives.” A surviving Jan. 6 page on the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia site, dated January 6, 2024, remains accessible and summarized the scale of the Capitol-riot investigation at that point. NPR has kept its own public archive. NPR’s Jan. 6 database says it tracked 1,575 criminal cases stemming from the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and includes court documents and, in many cases, video exhibits filed by prosecutors. (time.com) ### Why does the archive matter if the cases still exist? Court records and convictions do not disappear because press releases are removed. But the Justice Department’s public releases served as an official running account of who was charged, what conduct was alleged and how cases were resolved. (justice.gov) Time and AP both described the removed material as covering the full life cycle of many Jan. 6 cases, from charging through sentencing. (apps.npr.org) The combination of courtroom skepticism and archive removal creates two separate pressures on credibility. One concerns how prosecutors present cases to judges and grand juries; the other concerns how the department presents its own past work to the public. That link is an inference drawn from the two developments, not a stated DOJ position. ### What has DOJ said publicly? (time.com) The Justice Department has publicly defended the Jan. 6 deletions. Time, AP and other reports said the department characterized the removed material as “partisan propaganda.” At the same time, the department continues to publish new press releases and to describe its mission as enforcing the law fairly and impartially. The department homepage and Justice Manual both still state that prosecutors are to seek justice and recognize the grand jury as an independent body. (nytimes.com) ### What should readers watch next? Future court filings will show whether judges impose sanctions, order more grand jury material unsealed or dismiss additional cases over prosecutorial conduct. (time.com) In the archive dispute, the clearest markers will be whether the department restores any Jan. 6 releases, expands its archived access, or faces formal records challenges from news organizations or watchdog groups. (chicago.suntimes.com) (justice.gov)

Key numbers

• The New York Times reported on May 26 that judges and grand juries are increasingly resisting Trump Justice Department cases viewed as political or weak.
• 6 prosecution releases and called them “partisan propaganda,” according to Time and other outlets.
• DOJ press-release archives now route pre-January 20, 2025 material to an archive page, while NPR maintains a searchable Jan.
• The New York Times reported on May 26 that federal prosecutors are encountering growing skepticism from judges and grand juries as Trump uses the department against perceived opponents and in defense of allies.

What happens next

• The New York Times reported on May 26 that federal prosecutors are encountering growing skepticism from judges and grand juries as Trump uses the department against perceived opponents and in defense of allies.
• Time reported on May 25 that the department removed hundreds of news releases tied to criminal cases arising from the Jan.
• The New York Times said on May 26 that judges and grand juries have “increasingly lost faith” in the Justice Department as prosecutors pursue cases seen as politically driven or poorly supported.

Sources

• nytimes.com
• time.com
• chicago.suntimes.com
• pbs.org
• justice.gov
• apps.npr.org
• justice.gov

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